Stay
by julesmonster
Summary: Chase needs a place to stay and goes to House. House/Chase slash.


**Stay**

**By Julesmonster**

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N:** This is my first, and probably only, House story. I love the fandom, but I suspect that I don't have the patience for the intense demands for medical details. The characters are very special and I loved exploring them in this story. I hope you enjoy! Jules

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Chase looked over his apartment and sighed. It was completely trashed. Not a single item had been left untouched. His books were torn and strewn all over the floor. His clothes were shredded and littered his bedroom. In the bathroom, the shower curtain was ripped from its rings and shampoo and conditioner had been squirted all over the walls and floor. His TV, electronic equipment and anything else of value were gone. In the kitchen, food was strewn over the floor and counters, the doors to his cabinets had been broken and drooped from their bent hinges. The cushions on his sofa had been ripped open and the stuffing pulled out. His coffee table, now missing two legs, looked like someone had tried to light it on fire. The walls were covered in graffiti and curse words. On top of everything, there were liquor bottles and drug paraphernalia strewn all over the place, puddles of vomit in various places and it looked like some one had shat in his fichus plant.

He set his suitcase on the floor beside the front door and looked for the phone. It was gone too. He pulled his cell phone out and called the police. Then he called his insurance company. Thank god he had invested in renters' insurance. Living in his neighborhood, something like this was bound to happen eventually.

The cops arrived and took his statement. He'd gone away for a few days of vacation and had just returned to find this. He'd only been gone four days. The cops looked sympathetic and told him he would need to find some place to stay for a while. Chase had simply chuffed a rueful laugh. Where the hell did he have to go? He couldn't afford a hotel. He'd spent all his savings on the plane ticket to Jamaica and for a hotel while he was there. Almost every penny he earned went towards paying off his student loans and the debts his mother had wracked up in his name.

God his life was fucked up.

Three hours after arriving back in the US, Chase found himself on House's doorstep. He'd tried Cameron, but she was still pissed at him over some comment he'd made two weeks ago. It was a long time for her to hold a grudge, but then again, he had called her infatuation with House utterly ridiculous and had told her to give up a losing battle. She hadn't even answered his call. And Foreman wasn't an option. He'd considered going to Wilson, but he was in the midst of another gruesome battle with his latest wife and Chase really didn't want to be in the middle of that. So all he had left was House.

Chase thought to himself, not for the first time, that he really needed to make some friends outside of the hospital.

"Don't want any," House said as he opened and closed the door without really looking.

"House!" Chase called out as he knocked on the door again. "Please!"

House opened the door a crack and peaked out. "Oh. It's my little wombat. I thought you were still drinking daiquiris in the Caribbean."

"Can I come in?" Chase said tiredly.

"Is that a suitcase?" House asked.

Chase sighed. "Yes. Please. I'll tell you everything if you just let me in the bloody door."

House narrowed his eyes and appeared to weigh his curiosity against his dislike of having people in his home. "Fine. But no leaving little wombat droppings on the sofa. Or anywhere else for that matter."

Chase picked up his suitcase and followed House into his apartment. He set the luggage down by the door and then let House lead him into the living room. "Can I possibly get a glass of water?"

House smirked. "I don't know, can you?"

"House…"

"Kitchen's through there," House acquiesced. He must really be curious, Chase thought. "Help yourself. But only water. No trying to steal my beer! Beer makes wombats sick."

"And how would you know that?" Chase called out from the kitchen as he found a glass and turned on the tap.

"Saw it on the Discovery channel," House said. "They said that wombats are notorious for trying to steal beer, but they get the worst hangovers and vomit all over the place."

"Then I must have had a flock of wombats invade my apartment while I was gone," Chase said as he reemerged with his water and sat on the sofa.

"I take it this is part of your explanation?" House asked.

Chase nodded and began to tell House exactly what he had found when he had returned from the airport. "And then the cops kicked me out of my own home. They said just for a few days, but…"

"But you don't have any friends and no money and no place to crash," House finished for him. Then he narrowed his eyes and continued with an air of disbelief, "So you showed up on my doorstep?"

Chase shrugged. "Cameron's still not speaking to me. And Foreman wouldn't have let me through the front door. I thought about Wilson, but…"

"But the bitch is still on the warpath," House said. "Alright, you can stay, but on several conditions."

Chase sighed. He'd known there would be conditions.

"First, you cook all my meals for as long as you stay," House said as he held up one finger.

"Just here, or lunches too?" Chase asked, sure that if he left any detail untouched, he'd get screwed later on.

"Wilson buys lunch," House said as if that was the obvious answer and Chase was an idiot for thinking otherwise. "Second, you clean the apartment. The lady who comes in stopped coming in recently. Something about me not paying her enough."

"I can do that," Chase agreed.

"Third, you move out of that shithole before something really bad happens," House said. He had dropped Chase off a time or two and knew just how bad his neighborhood was. "You stay here until you find a place that I approve of."

"Christ," Chase muttered. That could take forever. His budget was tight and House was notoriously hard to please about anything. He'd find a million things wrong with any place Chase chose. Then again, he didn't really want to go back to an apartment where crack addicts had invaded. "Agreed."

"Fourth and last," House said. "I get to tell any story I want to our colleagues about why you are staying here and you aren't allowed to contradict me. In fact, you have to back me up and make it believable. _And_ you have to help me with any plots I come up with to torment the others."

Chase actually laughed at this one. Oh, he knew that House was going to use this to humiliate him, but the thought of being in on one of House's plots was too tempting to pass up. "Agreed."

"Alright then," House said as he stood up from his chair. "The extra blanket and pillow are in the hall closet. I'm going to bed to dream of waffles. You do know how to make waffles, don't you?"

Chase rolled his eyes and went to get his suitcase.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

House was pouting the next morning as the two walked into hospital and Chase was fed up. "Listen. You have to actually _have_ the stuff for waffles in order for me to _make_ them. I'll buy the ingredients after work tonight and I'll make waffles tomorrow. I need to get groceries anyway. You have nothing in your cupboards or refrigerator."

"The lady who used to come in to clean used to shop too," House admitted. He wasn't really angry. Chase _had_ offered to buy him donuts instead. In fact, he was still munching on one when they reached the conference room. Foreman and Cameron were already there, doing their usual morning things: Cameron was actually looking through a case file—trying to take Chase's position as suck up, no doubt, House thought—and Foreman was reading his newspaper. "Morning ducklings! Have we got a case yet?"

Cameron jumped, not having heard the other doctors enter. "Oh! Yes. Cuddy sent this down a little while ago. Female, 32 years of age, presents with fever, rash, shortness of breath, and abdominal pain."

"A rash and abdominal pain?" Foreman asked. "Could we be looking at two different things?"

"No," Chase said in a bored tone without looking up from the crossword he had picked up the minute he had entered the room. "Sarcoidosis. The abdominal pain will be from kidney stones caused by too much calcium in her system."

"He's right, and this patient is boring," House huffed. "Cameron, go check her white blood cell count and Foreman do the MRI and x-rays. When they come back telling us what we already know, put her on prednisone and send her to a urologist to deal with the kidney stones."

"What about Chase?' Cameron made the mistake of asking as she picked up the file.

"Chase here is my new favorite duckling, so he gets to stay and entertain me," House said mockingly. "Are you jealous?"

Cameron huffed from the room, and Chase finally looked up at House. "And so it begins."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

The day progressed and Chase kept House company as he watched his soap operas that afternoon. He'd finished his crossword between rounds of twenty questions with House and then had been left in peace for a while so that House could plot just how he was going to torture Cameron with the news of Chase moving in. Chase was sure it was her who was the primary target, but he also knew that House wanted to inflict as much collateral damage as possible. Wilson, Cuddy and Foreman would be high on that list. He picked up House's red tennis ball, but it was snatched away before he could toss it against the wall even once.

"My toy," House said petulantly.

"Maybe I should just go do clinic hours for a while," Chase suggested. He hated soaps and he was bored.

"No way," House said. "Part of the plan is to make Foreman and Cameron resentful of your special treatment. That means hanging out with the boss."

"Maybe you could share the details of the plan with me so that I could actually respond appropriately when they start badgering me with questions," Chase suggested. Anything to keep from having to sit through another boring American soap opera.

"They don't yet know why you're my favorite," House said. "And we aren't going to tell them until the moment is perfect. So for now, you just smile and keep your pretty little mouth shut."

"You really don't have to tell me how pretty I am," Chase said teasingly. "Cameron's not around to hear and I already know."

"That's my little wombat," House said in an overly sweet voice. "Always so humble and concerned for the welfare of others."

Chase laughed. "I have made no claims to be humble _or_ concerned for my fellow man."

"Good, then you won't mind the game we're playing," House smirked. "They are both going to hate you before long."

"Foreman already does," Chase said with a shrug. "And Cameron's been pissed long enough that I think it might be permanent as well. They don't have to like me to work with me. Besides, if they don't like me, they won't expect things from me."

"Do you have _ANY_ friends?" House asked with an air of disbelief. "Because I've got to tell you, with an attitude like that, you'll never have any."

"Like you have room to talk," Chase scoffed.

"I have Wilson," House said petulantly. "And you can't have my masochistic friend. He's mine. Find your own doormat if you want to be a bastard."

"I tried being nice," Chase said. "It didn't get me anywhere, and it was a lot of work. Now, I think I'll try it your way."

"Is that why you called Cameron a lovesick school girl with a bad case of puppy love?" House asked.

"Don't forget the part where I called her pathetic," Chase said. "And there might have been a comment about a bitch in heat. I'm not really sure I remember clearly after she slapped me."

House laughed at that. "What did she do to piss you off?" Chase just raised a single eyebrow at House. "No really. I've watched you for years now and I know that it takes a lot for you to lose that cool façade you put on. What did she say?"

Chase stared at House and finally shrugged. "It wasn't as much what she said as what she did."

"And?" House asked, now sitting forward in his chair anxiously awaiting this bit of gossip that the rumor mongers—also known as the entire hospital staff—had missed.

Chase considered whether or not to share this bit of information. On the one hand, House could use it against him later. On the other hand, he was sure to use it against Cameron.

"She groped me in the bloody on-call room," Chase told him. "When I politely tried to turn her down, she got a bit catty. Said something about me being a snob or some such shit. I told her she isn't my type. She took offense to that and asked what type she was. The rest you know."

"Well, who knew?" House smirked evilly. "Now she's been rejected by two of her colleagues. I wonder how long it will take her to go for Foreman."

"Not long if you are intent on torturing her," Chase said. "Though I doubt she'll get far there either. Foreman's got a girl."

"He does?" House asked with a frown. "Why don't I know about this? I'm very sure that I would know if he did."

Chase got up and walked over to the wall of windows between House's office and the conference room. "He's kept it very well hidden. The only reason I know is because I caught them on a date one night and when I introduced myself, she proceeded to invite me to join them, much to Foreman's dismay. She said they've been together for six months and she's considering moving in. He's been asking for a while, but she's afraid to move that fast."

"And how long have you been holding this information over Foreman's head?" House asked, very pleased with his little duckling.

"About a month," Chase said. Cameron and Foreman had finally returned to the conference room. "I didn't ask for anything, but he's been a bit less snide to me."

"And you gave that up for me?" House asked, his voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. "You _do_ love me best!"

"No, I just know that he's going to hate me soon anyway, so there isn't much point in holding onto that information any longer," Chase said. "Besides, you would have found out soon anyway since Carla agreed to move in last week."

"Keeping in touch with Foreman's girlfriend?" House said mischievously. "How naughty of you."

"She emails me every once in a while. It would be rude not to respond," Chase smiled. "The other children have returned to the sandbox."

"Oooh goody, goody!" House said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go have some fun."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"It was sarcoidsis," Cameron said as soon as Chase and House entered the room.

"Of course it was," House said. "Chase already told you that. Okay, so new rule. From now on, Chase is going to be my chief duckling. He tells you what to do and you two do it. Starting tomorrow. Now, you two keep doing what_ever_ it is you do. I'm taking Chase out to diner to celebrate his promotion. Let's go my little wombat."

Chase, whose face remained completely blank during the entire exchange finally smiled at House and said, "Sure." He grabbed his bag and jacket and was ready to go. He had to wait, however, for House to get his things from his office.

"What is going on?" Cameron hissed.

Chase shrugged nonchalantly. "How should I know? You know how House is."

"But this is a bit much even for him," Foreman put in. Chase could tell he was pissed, because he usually tried to stay out of House's games.

"Hey, I didn't ask for this and I didn't know it was coming," Chase said honestly.

"Well, don't think you're going to lord this over us," Cameron huffed. "I refuse to play this game."

"Oh please," Chase said scathingly. "You jump to House's orders like the rest of us. If he wants to play this game, we'll all play it."

Chase didn't wait for her to respond or to see how Foreman would react. Instead, he left to wait for House in the hall. The older man was there and had obviously observed the interaction. "Let's go."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Twenty minutes later, they were at the grocery store, not a restaurant, and House was whining like an eight year old. "I'm bored. This is boring. I thought we were going _out_ to dinner."

"If you want waffles in the morning, we need groceries," Chase said patiently as he pushed the cart up the cereal aisle. He'd already spent time in the produce and meat section. Now he was looking for things to add to House's cupboards.

"Oh! Chocó Puffs! Can we get these?" House asked like an excitable kid.

Chase rolled his eyes and put the cereal into the cart. What he was really looking for was the pancake mix and syrup. He found them and put them into the cart. As they walked up and down the aisles, Chase found things to make for dinners and breakfasts, while House kept grabbing junk food. By the time they reached the checkout lane, Chase swore he was never taking House shopping again. He'd get a cab next time or shop online and pay the delivery fee.

They took the food home and Chase put it away while House went to his room to change. Apparently, he had been serious about going out to dinner and his Cure t-shirt wasn't going to cut it. Chase was still wearing his work clothes, so he didn't need to change. He would need to go shopping soon. And do laundry. The few clothes that he had brought to Jamaica with him were running out.

As he put the food away, Chase organized the empty cupboards in a way that made sense to him, since House obviously never cooked for himself. He set aside one whole cabinet to contain all the crap that House had bought.

Twenty minutes later, they were both ready to go and House ushered Chase out to the car. It was strange, like they were on a date or something. And then they reached the quaint little Italian restaurant in Trenton and Chase really felt odd. It was the type of place he would have brought someone on a first date, soft candle light intimate table for two, impressive food and wine selection. Chase got the feeling he was being wined and dined. The conversation flowed easily, however, and Chase soon found himself relaxing. The combination of the food and the wine had he dropping his defenses until House snuck in for the kill.

"So why don't you have a car?" House asked innocently enough. "I know how much you make. And I know you take on extra ours in the NICU, so you really should be able to afford a car and a decent place to live."

Chase sighed. House had done this just right. He was relaxed enough by the setting that he hadn't expected this inquiry. And he was just tipsy enough not to want to fight his responses. "You aren't allowed to use this against me later."

House glared at him, but eventually shrugged. "Fine. I won't torture you with this information. I'll just use something else."

Chase nodded. "My mother racked up huge debts in my name before she died. Took out loans in my name and never repaid them. Between them and my school loans, two thirds of my budget is already accounted for each month."

"And your father?" House pressed.

"Doesn't give a damn," Chase replied and poured more wine into his glass. He had a feeling he was going to need it. "He ditched us both when I was fifteen. Had to pay for school myself and he wasn't interested in hearing about her debts. I haven't spoken to him since her funeral."

"You couldn't protest the loans in court?" House asked. "I mean, since you weren't of age, it can't be legal."

"Australian laws aren't the same," Chase shrugged. "I'm almost finished paying them off now. I'm down to the last five grand. I was planning on moving out of that hellhole once the loans were paid, but now it looks like I'll have to delay paying them so I can live someplace safe."

House seemed pleased by his answers. Not that the information pleased him, but that Chase had trusted him enough to actually tell him. It explained a lot. Then again, every time he thought he understood the younger man, he did something to surprise him. Like the thing with Cameron, or their conversation in his office earlier today.

Well, Chase would be staying in his House for an indeterminate period of time. He'd be able to observe the Australian mystery and find out what else his little wombat was hiding.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

They went in to work together again the next morning. That was two days in a row. Chase was sure he heard the receptionist at the desk in the lobby saying something on the phone about the fact. It wouldn't take long before the entire hospital was speculating as to why they were seen together two mornings in a row. Once could be chalked up to House's eccentricities. Twice was an enigma that demanded further speculation.

"They're talking about us," Chase said to House once on the elevator.

"That's sort of the point," House told him.

"Right," Chase agreed. "Where are you going with this?" He had his suspicions, but he wanted to be sure.

"You'll know when the time is right," House told him. "Remember, for now, you don't know what they are talking about and you avoid answering any questions."

They reached the conference room and found Foreman and Cameron there. "New case?" House asked brusquely.

"Nothing," Foreman said.

"Alright then, Chase, you're in charge," House told him. "Make these lazy ducklings do something productive and then come see me in my office."

"Right," Chase said with a grimace. He was not entirely comfortable with this set up, despite what he had said to his colleagues the afternoon previous. "Okay, Foreman, did you have something in mind?" Foreman raised his eyebrow and glared at Chase. "Right then, go look for a patient in the clinic. Cameron?" She didn't even look at him. "You'll, um, go through past case files. We need to prepare the year end accounting. So compare the cases with the list of charges to the department's account."

"And what will you be doing?" Cameron asked snidely.

"I have no idea," Chase said. "This is House's game, not mine." He left the room and went to House's office. He watched through the window as the other two ducklings conversed angrily for a minute before going off to do their assigned tasks. Then Chase finally looked to House. "Was this completely necessary?"

"It is if I'm going to achieve my end goal," House said. "And before you ask, no I won't tell you that either. Did you bring something to occupy your time today? I'd hate for you to get bored again."

"I brought a book I borrowed from your shelves," Chase admitted. "And I've got a _New York Times _crossword puzzle book."

"Well, if things go as I expect, it won't be long before Cuddy comes down here," House said. "So that should break up the monotony of the morning. And if things are still slow this afternoon, I'll let you go shopping. You can't have many mismatched clothes left in that suitcase of yours."

"I don't," Chase said. He sat on the sofa and set his book beside him. "Why do you think Cuddy will be coming?"

"Because one of the other ducklings will have gone to tell her that I'm being unfair," House said. "Watch. I would say that it won't be more than fifteen minutes."

Chase thought about that. "I say you're wrong."

"Care to wager on it?" House asked with a smirk. "Say twenty bucks?"

"You're on," Chase said. "And I really think you're wrong about this."

"Why's that?" House asked.

"Because when they were arguing before, Foreman told Cameron to just drop it," Chase said. "And she said that it wasn't right and that someone had to say something. But then Foreman told her that she'd risk your wrath if she said something. Besides, it's your prerogative to select an assistant—his word, not mine."

"You can read lips?" House asked with a smirk. "Oh, that could become very useful. Worth the twenty bucks if I happen to be wrong. Which I still don't think I am. Do you really think she's going to be cowed by the thought of pissing me off?"

"No, but I do think she'll mull it over for a while before she does go to Cuddy," Chase said. "It only has to be longer than fifteen minutes for me to win, but I'd guess it'll take her an hour to think it through then another fifteen to get up the courage to talk to Cuddy. I'd say she'll be down here in about an hour and a half."

When the fifteen minutes had passed, Chase smirked at House.

"Alright, you win this one," House conceded. "Double or nothing on your timeframe? I'll give you ten minutes on either end."

"Okay," Chase agreed affably. He'd get forty bucks or nothing. Not much of a risk for him.

Five minutes shy of the hour and a half that Chase had predicted, Cuddy stormed through the door.

"That's forty," Chase said with a smile.

"Would you excuse us, Dr. Chase," Cuddy said, her eyes not leaving House.

"I'll just be in the conference room," Chase said as he grabbed his book and headed out. Once in the other room he situated himself so that he could observe the interaction between his boss and the dean of medicine. Because of the angle, and the fact that he didn't want Cuddy to know that he was eavesdropping, he missed some of the conversation. But he caught enough to get the gist.

House insisted he had the right to choose an assistant, like most of the other department heads had. Cuddy accused him of just using this as a way to play more of his mind games. He missed House's response, but Cuddy came back again with the idea that House was trying to turn Chase into a clone of him. House denied that. He asked if she was denying him the right to promote Chase. She asked why him. He was the youngest and the least experienced of the group. House said he had been with House the longest and had the most potential to become a really good diagnostician. He was as smart as, if not smarter than, the other two and he was more intuitive than Foreman and less emotional than Cameron. He listed a couple instances when Chase had gotten the diagnosis right when even House hadn't. He also pointed out that Chase had diagnosed their patient yesterday within two minutes of hearing the symptoms and had been absolutely correct. And Chase already handled the monthly inventory and supply orders.

Cuddy opened the door to House's office and began to leave, but she paused. "Do what you're going to do. But let me warn you, you are going to drive off the other two if you keep this up."

Chase waited a minute for her to get to the elevator before going back into House's office.

"How much of that did you catch?" House asked.

"Most of it," Chase said. "Do you really think I have a chance to be a good diagnostician? Or was that part of the plan?"

"It's true, but don't let it go to your head," House warned. "The other ducklings are going to hate you enough as it is."

"So, if I'm your assistant, does that mean I get a raise?" Chase asked cheekily.

"Yes," House muttered. "I suppose it does. You'll have to rearrange the budget to make room for that. Well, the good news is, you'll be able to pay that money back sooner."

"If I keep betting with you, I'll be out of debt in no time," Chase smirked.

"Hey, don't get used to it," House said as he pulled two twenties from his wallet and handed them over. "I rarely lose. Just ask Wilson."

"Wilson's an easy mark," Chase said. "Taking money from him is like betting with Cameron. Totally one sided and no challenge whatsoever."

"What about Foreman?" House asked. It was interesting getting these little insights into his ducklings. They spent a lot of time together when he wasn't present.

"Foreman doesn't bet," Chase said. "Unless he knows it's a sure thing. In which case, I know enough not to take the bet."

"Good information to know," House said thoughtfully, but then he turned a suspicious eye on Chase. "Why are you sharing this?"

Chase picked up his book and shrugged as he found his page. "Why are you letting me stay at your apartment?"

House wasn't going to answer that, and so he dropped the subject.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

House did let Chase go shopping that afternoon and he was able to replace some of the clothes and other personal items he had lost. He spent about an hour while he was shopping on the phone with his insurance company, and they promised that he would have a check within a week. He also called a cleaning company and hired them to clean the apartment out and gave notice to his landlord. The landlord was rather understanding considering the break in and agreed that since Chase was having the place professionally cleaned, he wouldn't charge him for breaking his lease.

When House got back to the apartment that evening, he found that Chase had taken over half of the hall closet and had dinner waiting on the table. It was actually nice to have someone there to take care of him. Usually Wilson was the only one who ever did that. And when he wanted some salty fattening snack while he watched TV that evening, Chase brought him a bag of chips without his ever having to ask. It was pretty nice. That must be why he didn't tease the younger doctor about his oral fixation when he joined him in the living room while sucking on a Popsicle.

Another night on the couch and Chase was up early again to make breakfast for House. The Waffles had been good, but the blueberry pancakes were even better. And again they walked into work together and House was sure that someone would get up the courage to ask them about it soon. They'd probably ask Chase first, but House was determined to be there when it happened.

Foreman had found them a case and the other two were waiting to discuss it when House and Chase finally arrived. Foreman listed the symptoms while Chase read through the file. House began listing symptoms on the whiteboard. Foreman and Cameron started throwing out random possibilities, but Chase simply sat back and listened. House's pronouncement yesterday had given him a new confidence in himself and he wanted to live up to the praise.

"What do you think, Chase?" House asked after belittling both Foreman and Cameron's attempts.

"He's hypertensive," Chase said going through the symptoms in his head. "This would explain the kidney problems and the pulmonary problems. Leaving us with the fainting, another symptom of hypertension. So I would suggest we look for abnormalities on the adrenal and thyroid glands with an MRI. Either one could be behind the hypertension. I would suspect the thyroid, however, because we've also got severe weight loss. So I'd look for toxic adenomas. I'd also check his blood work, to make sure it's not thyroiditis. If that's the case, we'll need to look for the root infection that is causing the antibodies to attack the thyroid."

Cameron and Foreman were silently watching for House's reaction. "What? You heard the man! Go! MRI and blood work to be done!" The two scampered off, but not before eyeing Chase speculatively (Foreman) and jealously (Cameron). "Good call on that. They need to bring us more challenging cases if it's that easy for you."

Chase shrugged. "Foreman wouldn't know endocrine deficiencies. He's a neurologist. I'm sure to him that was challenging."

"What's Cameron's excuse?" House asked. "She's an immunologist. She should have some familiarity with endocrinology. And if we're arguing that way, you shouldn't have known it either. You're an intensivist."

"Intensivists have to be at least passingly familiar with all areas of medicine," Chase argued. "Because our patients could be in ICU because of anything. Knowing how one area can affect the others helps when you're trying to keep a patient alive long enough to treat them."

"A good intensivist might know other specialties," House conceded. "But most of them are only interested in just that, keeping the patient alive long enough so that someone else can heal them. The fact that you make it your business to know the other areas of medicine indicates that you are a good diagnostician. And that you do more than just crossword puzzles with your spare time."

"Aw, you're making me blush," Chase teased, but inside he was really quite pleased with the praise that House was giving him. "Tell me about your cleaning lady. Why'd she really leave?"

House looked at Chase with amusement. "I told you. She wanted more money."

"How much were you paying her?" Chase asked.

"Fifty bucks a week, plus grocery money," House said. "And she wanted another twenty five."

"And why didn't you agree to that?" Chase pressed. "Because I can tell you, even at seventy five a week, that's still pretty cheap considering she did your grocery shopping as well."

"Trying to get out of cleaning?" House asked.

"Hell yes," Chase said. "I hate to clean. I'll do it if I have to, but…"

"You'd rather I sucked it up and paid the woman," House said. "Well, I'm not going to. But if you want to hire her, you can go right ahead. I'll even give you her number. You aren't paying rent while you stay with me, so you might as well spend your money on something useful like groceries and a cleaning lady."

Chase thought about that. Even with buying food for two and paying the cleaning lady, it was still a lot less than he had been paying for rent in that crappy apartment. "How long?"

"How long what?" House asked.

"How long will this arrangement last?" Chase asked.

"I told you," House said with a put upon sigh. "Until I approve of a place for you to live."

"Give me an estimate," Chase said. "I need to have a timeline so I can plan before I make any commitments to hiring a cleaning lady."

"As long as it takes," House huffed. "Though with your budget and this economy, I'd say it's going to be a while. Several months at least."

Chase nodded. That was what he had thought. He could use the insurance money to pay off the rest of his loans and if he had three months without rent, he'd still be able to put away enough for a deposit for a new place within a couple months. He wouldn't have anything to put in it, but he could finally have those loans off of his back. Chase grinned. "Alright. I'll hire your cleaning lady."

"Why are you so happy?" House asked suspiciously.

"Because if I live with you for three months I can pay off all of those loans with the insurance money and still be able to have a deposit put away for a new place. And you just gave me permission to stay that long."

Chase was beaming and it was doing strange things to House's brain. "I did?" House said. "Must be the vicodin."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Wilson showed up at their door that evening with beer and pizza. He was surprised to find that Chase was there and had already made dinner for the two men. "Come join us. We're having baked ziti, so the pizza will go well with it," Chase said as he led Wilson into the kitchen. Sure enough, House was sitting at the table set with two plates filled with baked ziti.

"Ooh," House said excitedly. "You brought my favorite, didn't you?"

Wilson looked bemused, but said. "Yeah. And Beer. Chase invited me to join you. Join you… House…"

"Shut up and have some pasta," House said. "Thinking too much while you eat will give you indigestion."

Chase chuckled at that, but said nothing as he got another plate out for Wilson and found the bottle opener so they could each have a beer. House had said Chase should let him do the talking when the doorbell had rung, so Chase was determined to uphold his promise to go along with whatever House had planned.

Conversation was stilted at first. Wilson was obviously uncomfortable with not knowing why Chase was there. After they were finished, Wilson volunteered to do the dishes and Chase looked at House before agreeing. He needed to do the laundry anyway. So he left the two older doctors alone and went to gather both his and House's laundry and took it to the laundry room in the building's basement. He was glad he had remembered to stop at the bank yesterday to pick up quarters. Soon, he had three loads sorted and washing. He went back up the stairs hoping he had given the two men long enough to talk.

"You can't be serious," Wilson said loudly. They were still in the kitchen. Chase took a seat in the living room and listened to what he could of their conversation. House's words were muffled, but Wilson's weren't. "Like I'm going to believe you let him stay here out of the goodness of your heart. What's really going on? Are you sleeping with him?" There were more muffled words from House. "Right. I believe that. Is this why you promoted him? Because if it is, I can't even begin to explain just how reprehensible this is." More muffled speech. Wilson must have calmed down some because his voice was muffled now too.

Chase shrugged and picked up the remote for the TV. When it was time to change loads, he went to the basement and then returned to the living room to find that House and Wilson had invaded. House was on the sofa and Wilson in the only chair. House smirked at him and patted the sofa beside him. Chase groaned. So that was the way House wanted to play this. Well, okay. But he had a feeling that House was going to regret this more than Chase would. Chase sat close beside House and when House put his arm around his shoulders, Chase leaned into his side. Wilson seemed to either want to swallow his tongue or blind himself. It was pretty amusing to watch him try to carry on a normal conversation all while trying not to look in their direction.

When House nudged him with his thigh Chase grinned inwardly and leaned over to kiss House, knowing that the other man hadn't expected his ready agreement. The kiss was short but potent, and hotter than Chase had expected from House, given that he was a bastard of the first order. But the highlight of Chase's night came when he leaned back against the sofa and saw Wilson's face.

"I… I better…It's late and…" Wilson stammered even as he stood up and walked backward towards the door. "I'll… see you… Bye!"

Once the door slammed shut, both House and Chase leaned back and laughed. This was good. They watched the end of whatever crap show House had put on. By unspoken agreement, neither bothered to move out of their comfortable position. When the show ended, however, Chase knew he was going to have to go get the clothes from the dryers. He excused himself and loaded up the laundry basket before bringing the clean clothes upstairs.

House was on the sofa again, but he had gotten two beers, a bag of chips and one of the bags of M&Ms Chase had stashed away for himself. He smiled and retook his seat on the sofa. He folded laundry and grabbed bites candy while House explained to him why the blond bimbo on the show was throwing dishes at the handsome dark haired man. It was a nice way to pass an evening even if there were no more kisses.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Cuddy was back in House's office the next day. This time, Chase didn't bother to stick around. Instead he went to seek out his colleagues and see how they were doing with their patient. He'd been right about the thyroid, and they were waiting for the OR to open up so they could remove the nodules on the man's thyroid. The toxic adenomas were causing the gland to overproduce hormones which was causing the other problems. Once they were removed, his hormone levels should return to normal and he would be fine.

"What are you doing here?" Cameron asked. She and Foreman were standing outside of the patient's room and had been consulting over his file when Chase arrived. "I thought House was keeping his lapdog by his side these days."

"Oooh," Chase smirked. "Feeling a little bitchy, are we?"

"He just promoted you because you're sleeping with him," Cameron stated confidently.

"So which upsets you more," Chase wondered aloud. "The fact that he promoted me or the fact that he chose me when you have been so obviously throwing yourself at him for years? My guess is that it's the latter."

"Can we get back to the patient," Foreman asked with annoyance. "Surgery has set aside a slot for this afternoon."

"Good," Chase said. "Then this guy's almost out of our hands."

Cameron walked away, and Chase let her go. But Foreman was staring at him. "He didn't promote you because you're sleeping with him, did he?"

"Are you asking if I'm sleeping with him?" Chase asked, trying to clarify the question.

"No, everyone seems to know you are," Foreman said. "Apparently, a couple nurses and Cuddy's assistant heard Wilson yelling about it to Cuddy this morning. No. I'm asking you if he promoted you because you are."

"I don't think so," Chase said. "He says it's because I'm a good diagnostician. _And_ I think he wants to play games with us, like I said the other day."

"So he doesn't think Cameron and I are good diagnosticians," Foreman concluded.

"That's not what I said," Chase told him. "But you have to admit that you both tend to lean very heavily on your chosen fields and forget to look outside your specialty. It's why you are so good as a neurologist, and why you don't always see the bigger picture."

"And you do," Foreman said. It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.

"Think of it this way," Chase said. "Intensivists, ER doctors, GPs, and diagnosticians all have one thing in common. They have to treat the entire person, not just a portion of them. It means we are forced to be more familiar with a variety of specialties, even if they aren't our area of expertise. I never focused on the heart or the brain or the immune system. I know a little about a lot of areas. You know a lot about one area. It makes us different, but it doesn't make one better than the other."

"But you _are_ better at this than we are," Foreman said. "Sometimes I wonder why House bothered with Cameron and me at all."

"Because the team needs a variety of experiences and expertise," Chase said easily. "That's why we still do differentials. It might never be Lupus, but one of these days it could be. And there have been times when your expertise in neurology has been extremely beneficial."

"But we could just as easily do that on a consulting basis, like Wilson does with oncology," Foreman argued.

"I'm not sure what to tell you, mate," Chase finally said.

"No, it's okay," Foreman said. "You've been helpful. I just need to decide what I want to do."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"How did things go with Cuddy," Chase asked. Once the patient had been taken to surgery, he had returned to House's office to await the results.

"She's swearing up and down that I'm the devil incarnate," House smiled.

"And so you are," Chase laughed. "What is she planning on doing about it?"

"She's going to call you into her office to find out what's going on," House said.

"And what am I going to say to her?" Chase asked.

"You are going to tell her the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god," House said.

"Seriously?" Chase asked skeptically.

"Yep," House said. "And she's not going to believe a word of it. Of course, when I say the whole truth, I don't actually mean the _whole_ truth."

"Of course not," Chase chuckled. "So what _exactly_ am I supposed to tell her?"

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"Dr. Chase, please have a seat," Cuddy said as Chase entered her office a while later. "Would like something to drink?"

"No thank you," Chase said pleasantly.

"Alright then," she said and then paused. "The reason I called you here is to find out the exact nature of your relationship with Dr. House."

"He's my boss," Chase said. "And I would consider him a friend of sorts, though I doubt he would say the same."

"Anything else?" Cuddy asked.

"Should there be?" Chase asked.

"I was led to believe that there might something of a romantic relationship between yourself and Dr. House," Cuddy said. "If he has pressured you into such a relationship, I need to know about it."

Chase laughed, but not too hard, careful to keep to the plan. "I've shared exactly one kiss with Dr. House. He did it to freak out Dr. Wilson. Dr. Wilson wouldn't believe that House let me stay with him out of kindness, so House let him believe what he was determined to believe."

"And your promotion had nothing to do with this supposed relationship with Dr. House?" Cuddy asked.

"As far as I know, he promoted me because I get more cases right than the other two," Chase said. "You can check my track record if you'd like. I'm sure House keeps score somewhere."

"I'm sure he does," Cuddy sighed. "Fine. You aren't complaining about sexual harassment, and I have no proof the he promoted you for any other reason but the one stated, so I guess this is a non-issue. You will let me know if anything inappropriate happens."

Chase rose from his seat and looked at Cuddy directly in the eye. "With all due respect, Dr. Cuddy, I probably won't. I'll let you in on a little secret. I wouldn't be at all adverse to something happening between Dr. House and myself."

Chase left the office before Cuddy had a chance to wipe the shocked look off her face and come up with a reply.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"That was fun," Chase told House once he was back in House's office. "You should have seen her face. She didn't believe a word of what I was saying. Or at least, she wasn't sure what to believe. But she did say that since I'm not complaining of sexual harassment and since there's no proof that you hired me to get me in bed, there's not really anything she can do."

"Well, that is good news," House said. "We should definitely go home and celebrate. Maybe a nice candlelit dinner before hours and hours in bed."

Chase knew that someone had entered the room by the way House subtly flicked his eyes to the right, so he played along. "Sounds heavenly."

"So it's true," Cameron said quietly. "Of course it is. Wilson wouldn't lie about something like this. And Chase didn't deny it earlier."

"Did you have a falling out with my little wombat?" House asked in a painfully cheerful voice. "Because I'm sure he's sorry for whatever he said."

"No, I don't think he is," Cameron said tiredly. "I just thought I'd let you both know that the patient is out of surgery. Everything looks good and he'll be released tomorrow."

"Alright then," House said. "I suppose it's time to go home then. Coming Chase?"

"Of course," Chase said with a smile. Cameron looked devastated, but Chase wasn't fooled. She'd be back to her bitchy ways tomorrow.

They left together and went to House's car. Once they were on their way, Chase brought up his talk with Foreman earlier. "I think he's considering leaving."

"Good," House said. "He needs to get on with his career. He's wasting himself here."

"You really believe that?" Chase asked.

"He a good neurologist," House said. "He's not a good diagnostician."

"What about Cameron?" Chase asked. "Are you trying to get her to move on as well?"

"Hmm," House said considering his answer. "I doubt she has as much potential outside our little team, but she doesn't really bring much to the table, other than morals and ethics. People with those are a dime a dozen."

"So you want a new team?" Chase asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"A new team?" House asked as though the thought hadn't occurred to him. "Not really, though I'm sure Cuddy will insist on it. I just think it's time to shake things up a bit. See how the pieces fall out. So far, I like the results."

Chase had to laugh. "You think everyone is just a part of some grand experiment in your head, don't you?"

"Aren't they?" House asked.

"What about me?" Chase asked.

"Well, we're still in the midst of _our_ experiment," House said. "It wouldn't do to tell you the expected results yet!"

"I see," Chase said with a grin. "You'll let me know the results, though won't you?"

"I will," House vowed melodramatically with his hand over his heart.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

The hospital rumor mill was in overdrive the next few days. House and Chase continued to play the besotted lovers trying desperately to hide their feelings. Every moment of time they spent together in view of others was scrutinized and analyzed a hundred different ways. The fact that they did nothing to overtly call attention to themselves simply made the gossips try even harder to catch them at something. Meanwhile, House and Chase limited their interactions to a few long glances and standing closer to each other than normal and let the observers draw their own conclusions. It was absolutely ridiculous and it was fun to watch. Chase had a sudden realization that this was how House lived his entire life and began to understand a little of why he behaved the way he did.

Chase was actually enjoying the attention and the predictable responses of their coworkers. Cameron was avoiding them both when at all possible. Foremen just ignored them, lost in his own thoughts. Cuddy tried to keep them in check, watching them and waiting for any sign that something naughty was happening. And Wilson…well, Wilson was the most fun of all. He would walk up to House or Chase or the two of them and try to start a conversation and end up stuttering and stammering the way he had at the apartment that first night. He hadn't come back for dinner since.

The team had worked over the weekend; a case had come in Friday afternoon that had kept them all on their toes until Tuesday when the patient finally began responding to treatment. This time it had been a genetic defect in the girl's lungs that had remained undetected until triggered by environmental conditions. Cameron's knowledge of immunology had been a help, but Chase had watched as Foreman seemed to finally come to a decision about his place on the team. He was going to leave, though he hadn't said so yet.

Cameron, on the other hand would have to be fired or chased out before she left. The work she had done with this latest patient had, if nothing else, cemented firmly in her mind her value to the team. Of course, her value was a bit over-inflated. Chase rather thought that she stuck around because she thought she was House's conscience, but House was right: people with morals were a dime a dozen. Besides, House never listened to her any more than he listened to Cuddy or anyone else.

On a more personal note, things were going pretty well for Chase. He and House had fallen into a routine. Each evening, they ate dinner and then spent time on the sofa together. Like that evening with Wilson, they never discussed it, but they ended up sitting close together and sharing their evening. House would watch TV and Chase often read from some medical journal or book. Chase had been able to graduate from med school so young because he was able to practically memorize what he read and he could do that very quickly. It wasn't unusual for Chase to go through an entire medical journal in an evening.

The first time Chase had done so House had glared at him and eyed him suspiciously. Since House had already read the journal, he decided to quiz Chase on what he had read. Chase had answered all of House's questions correctly. Once he had finished the pop oral quiz, House had said that it explained a lot about Chase. Chase had grinned and grabbed another journal to read.

Chase was a little concerned over Wilson's reaction to their supposed relationship. He didn't really want to be the cause of House losing his friend, but House continued to blow off Chase's concern. He believed that Wilson would get over it, but Chase wasn't so sure.

After their patient was released, Cuddy allowed them to take a couple days off. This was their first real break since Chase had returned from Jamaica and he was surprised by what House decided to do with his time off. The fact that he spent a few hours playing the piano wasn't a surprise. He'd heard House play in the evenings. The surprise came when House invited Chase ride his motorcycle with him. Chase, thrilled with the offer, accepted right away. They spent the unseasonably warm afternoon riding around the back roads in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They stopped for dinner at a little roadside diner in a small town that House knew well.

"Greg you old bastard," the hostess called as soon as they walked through the door. "Haven't seen you in more than a month."

"It's been cold," House defended. "And I've been busy with work."

"I see you brought a friend this time," she said as she eyed Chase up and down.

"Katie, this is Dr. Robert Chase," House said. "Chase, this is Katie. She's owns and runs the best restaurant for a hundred miles."

"A pleasure," Chase said.

"Oh, isn't he cute," Katie said with a smile. "I do love a man with a sexy accent."

"Um, thanks," Chase said.

"Alright, kid, just find a seat and I'll bring some menus over," Katie said and House led them to a booth in the back of the diner.

A few minutes later, Katie came back with menus. "Honestly, I was surprised that you aren't Wilson," she said. "House always talks about his friend Wilson, but I've never gotten to meet the man."

"So I'm the first person you've brought here?" Chase asked House.

"Oh don't go thinking you're special," House groused. "Wilson just hates the bike. He would never spend three hours on the back."

"Most people wouldn't," Katie said. "And I think that makes this young man _very_ special."

"Thanks, Katie," Chase grinned.

Katie took their orders and was soon back with their food. After such a long ride they were both quite hungry, but House's description of the food had been accurate. While it was simple fare, Chase hadn't tasted its equal since he'd come to the US.

"Why doesn't everyone know about this place?" Chase wondered after they had paid and said their goodbyes to Katie.

"Because it's out in the back of beyond," House replied. He climbed onto the bike and Chase climbed on after him. "We'll take the direct route home. It looks like it might rain soon."

Chase had enjoyed the scenic route they had taken before, but holding on behind House as they spend down the interstate was a whole new experience. The straighter roads and increased speeds were exhilarating and Chase found himself enjoying that as much as he had the earlier ride. They made it back to Princeton just as the first drops of rain began to fall. Chase hopped off the bike and went for the tarp House used to cover the bike and the two of them worked together to get the bike protected before hurrying inside.

They were a bit damp and each changed into comfortable sweats and dry t-shirts before reconvening on the sofa once more. Chase had brought a bottle of fine scotch he had been hanging on to along with two glasses. He poured then each a glass and lifted his in toast. "Here's to a hell of a ride."

House sipped his scotch and savored the oaky flavor. "Mmm. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Wilson hates the bike, and the one time Cameron rode with me she practically screeched in my ear the entire time."

"Yeah well, I could see that," Chase said. "She's not exactly one who enjoys taking risks."

"But you are?" House asked.

"Yeah," Chase agreed. He was quiet for a moment, contemplating what he wanted to say and sipping his scotch. "You asked me once why I left seminary and I refused to answer at the time. You still interested in the answer?"

House raised his eyebrows. "Of course."

"I took a risk," Chase said. He waited for House to give him the expected prompting look before continuing. "There was another student, Michael Fletcher. A few years older than me and quite handsome. He used to give me these looks that could melt steel. Scorching looks. I knew what he wanted, but had never considered being with a man before."

"You know you are just playing into all my stereotypes about homosexuals in the priesthood," House said dryly.

"I do know," Chase smirked. "Why do you think I never told you before?"

"So what? You were caught with your vestments around your ankles?" House guessed.

"Not exactly," Chase said. "Yes, I took a chance and slept with him. But he felt so guilty afterward that he promptly confessed. I, on the other hand, didn't feel guilty at all. They called me into the dean's office and asked me to confess. Thing was, I couldn't feel sorry for what I had done. It was too damned good. It got me thinking about the arbitrariness of religious dogma. Not just in the Catholic Church, but in religion in general. Why is one thing considered right and another wrong? Who gets to decide?"

"Most religious people would say God," House said, playing devil's advocate.

"But I've never had God speaking directly to me," Chase said. "The closest thing I had ever felt to a truly religious experience was having sex. We trust that the people who wrote the Bible, or whatever religious book people study, have a better understanding of what the divine deity they worship wants from us. But what if they don't?"

"Then people are sheep who follow blindly whatever they are told," House said as if he believed that to be the ultimate truth.

"Exactly," Chase said.

"But you still attend Mass," House pointed out. "At least for the big days."

"I could be wrong," Chase shrugged. "And it's hard to give up a lifetime of religious education in a decade."

"So when you slept with that Michael person, you weren't just risking your vow of celibacy," House said, getting them back to the original topic.

"No, I risked everything that I believed in," Chase said.

"Do you regret it?" House asked.

"Not a bit," Chase replied.

"Good to know," House told him. They were quiet for some time and Chase eventually got up to put on one of House's jazz CDs while House poured them another glass.

"I've told you something you've always wanted to know," Chase said once he was sitting beside House again, their thighs aligned and shoulders brushing. "Will you tell me something I've always wondered?"

"Depends on what it is," House hedged.

"Why'd you hire me?" Chase asked.

"Oh, is that all?" House said wryly. "I thought you were going to ask something personal. I hired you because you intrigued me."

"How so?"

"There you were, this fresh faced kid with two years of practice under his belt at twenty six," House said. "You were some kind of whiz kid. But the one thing I expected you to do when you came in for the interview, you never did."

"What didn't I do?" Chase asked as he leaned a little on House and House casually draped his arm around Chase.

"You never once mentioned your father," House said. "I expected you come out with all the connections you had to have made being Rowan Chase's kid but you never once mentioned him or any references from Australia. It was like in your mind, your life began when you reached the United States."

"In some ways it did," Chase said quietly.

"I know that now, but I didn't then," House said. "And so many pieces of the puzzle have only recently begun to make sense."

"Will you kiss me?" Chase asked quietly as he looked up into House's face.

"Is this another one of those potentially life altering risks you like to take?" House asked.

"Yes," Chase said. "Will you kiss me?"

House didn't answer with words. Instead he leaned down and captured Chase's mouth with his own. The kiss they had shared the other day with Wilson in the room had been child's play compared to this one. It was hot and torrid and filled with so much pent up desire that Chase thought the heat might just consume him. But what a way to go.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Chase woke up on the sofa the next morning. There had been a moment when he was sure that House was going to take him to bed with him, but sanity seemed to return to the older man with a jolt while Chase had still been lost in the mindless pleasure of their kisses. When House pulled away, Chase was disappointed, but not really surprised. Chase doubted that House had ever actually had sex with a man before. It would be a bit much to hit the sheets the first time out. Having said that, he did believe that House would be back for more. It had been too hot to deny what was between them.

Chase got up and folded up his blanket and put it and his pillow away before going to the kitchen to start breakfast. He thought a full breakfast would be perfect today. When House emerged from the bedroom half an hour later, Chase had toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes all hot and ready to serve. House's eyes widened at the spread but said nothing. Instead, he went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"I've got some things to take care of this morning," Chase said once they were both served and House was eating. "The cleaners are coming to the apartment and I need to go see if there is anything that is at all salvageable. I should be back by lunch."

"You want to take my car?" House asked. If he needed to get anywhere, he could take the bike. It had stopped raining over night.

Chase was surprised but pleased. "That would be great. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"Can't think of a thing," House said.

Chase cleaned up after breakfast and went to the apartment. There really wasn't anything he wanted to keep other than some pictures he found in a shoe box that hadn't been ruined and the few books that hadn't been destroyed. He also found that some of his kitchen items were in good shape and House didn't have a stock pot or whisk, so he packed up those things as well. All told, it was less than a box full.

He arrived back at House's apartment and put the kitchen items away before storing the box in the basement. He hadn't seen House on his way through the first time, but the bike was still out front, so he knew House was home.

"House?" Chase called. "I'm back. You ready for lunch yet?" There was an indistinct grunt from the bedroom. "House? You okay?"

"I'm fine!" House called back. "A sandwich would be good."

Chase shrugged and began pulling out the ingredients for House's favorite cold Ruben sandwich. He decided it didn't sound half bad, but decided he wanted his hot, the way a Ruben was meant to be eaten. Ten minutes later, he was setting down the two plates and getting two beers from the fridge when House came out of his room.

"Gay porn is absolutely useless," he grumped and Chase nearly choked on his tongue.

"Wh-what?"

"I spent all morning on the computer trying to get tips on gay sex," House said. "But all of the porn I found skips right from blow jobs to fucking. They don't show any of the important stuff, like preparing your partner. Useless videos."

Chase wasn't sure if he should blush or laugh or be flattered that House was doing research to learn how to make sex good for him. "Um, you know, I'm not exactly a novice at this. You could just ask me."

"Oh, like that wouldn't be awkward," House pouted.

"Like this isn't," Chase muttered, still unable to believe he was having this conversation over lunch. "There really isn't any rush to get to that part, anyway. If you want to do more than we did last night, there are plenty of ways we can get off without fucking. But if you're dead set on researching this for yourself, I would suggest getting a book. There are one or two I could recommend."

House just grumped and ate his sandwich. When he was finished, he said, "I'm going out for a while." And then he was gone. Chase was left standing there looking completely flummoxed.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Chase spent the afternoon washing the linens and reorganizing the kitchen now that he had a better feel for the space. When he heard someone come in the door, he assumed it was House.

"Did you get what you were looking for?" Chase called out from the kitchen.

"Um, it's not House," Wilson said as he came to the kitchen doorway. "He's not here, then?"

"No, he went out a couple hours ago," Chase said. "Anything I can help you with?"

Wilson looked a little lost. "Kara kicked me out. I used to stay here, but… I guess I'll have to get a hotel."

Chase wanted to tell him that he could stay, but it wasn't his place. And since as far as Chase knew, he was still sleeping on the sofa, he really couldn't make that call without House.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chase said. "You'll at least stay for dinner, won't you? I have no idea when House will get back, but I was about to start making meatloaf. There will be plenty."

"Of course," Wilson said. "Would you like some help?"

So the two men spent the next hour preparing dinner together, and the tension and awkwardness that had been between them faded as they chatted about work and House. They talked about pretty much anything that came up except Chase's relationship with House or Wilson's relationship with Kara. They even managed to laugh about some of the gossip that was going around the hospital about Nurse Brenda.

"So glad to see that my two special guys are getting along so well," House smirked as he entered the kitchen. "Dinner smells good."

"Meatloaf," Chase said. He smiled as House cam up behind him and gave him a kiss on his cheek from behind before turning away again.

"What's up?" House asked Wilson.

"Do I need a reason to visit?" Wilson asked.

House eyed his friend speculatively. "The bitch tossed you out."

"Yeah, okay," Wilson huffed. "She did. But don't worry; I'll get a hotel room."

House looked to Chase, who was now watching the two old friends and shrugged. House said, "You can stay on the sofa. Just don't complain if things get noisy." He smirked as both of the other men blushed at that, but he could tell that Chase was pleased.

"I take it you found what you were looking for?" Chase asked House casually.

"I did," House leered. "I promise to show you later."

They sat down for dinner and things seemed to be getting back to normal between House and Wilson. This pleased Chase, since he really didn't want to be the reason the two old friends had a falling out. They drank and chatted into the evening. House played the piano while Chase and Wilson talked. And then it was time for bed. Chase got out the blanket and pillow for Wilson and then meekly followed House into the bedroom.

"You sure this is okay?" Chase asked once the door was shut behind him.

"More than," House said as he limped over and wrapped his arms around Chase. He leaned in and kissed Chase with a passion that Chase was beginning to recognize as being uniquely House. "I've wanted this for a while now."

"Me too," Chase moaned and let his hands explore the expanse of House's back. Then they were losing themselves in the heated kisses once again. House tugged at Chase's shirt and soon Chase was pulling away just long enough to get free of the confining fabric. Then, between kisses, he helped House remove his shirt as well. Then they were standing there chest to chest, smooth skin against slightly hairy skin. Chase was surprised at how aggressive House was being, considering how overwhelmed he had seemed just that afternoon.

When he bent to lick and nibble at Chase's already hard nipple, Chase just about came undone. He grasped House's head, his fingers clutching his short hair and holding his mouth in place. God that was magnificent. Then House gave attention to his other nipple and Chase's knees nearly buckled.

"The bed," Chase gasped out. "Please."

House loosened his grip on Chase and stepped back. "Pants off first." Chase hurried to comply, stripping down to nothing in no time at all, then he began on House's belt and fly. The older man didn't move to help, just watched and groaned when Chase's hand deliberately brushed against his erection. House stepped out of his pants and boxers and sat on the bed. Chase followed him, crawling to the center of the bed and laid down on his back, looking up at House.

"Do with me what you will," Chase said.

"Oh, I plan on it, my little wombat."

House started with the familiar: kisses and caresses over Chase's body. The fact that his chest was flat wasn't all that different for House, since not all of the girls he had been to bed with were built like Cuddy. In fact, the gasps and moans that Chase let escape when he pinched one nipple was very familiar if lower than the gasps he was used to. It wasn't until his hand migrated lower that the differences became more distinct. The trail of light blond hair along Chase's abdomen was soft and barely visible, but it was a sensory reminder that this wasn't a woman below him. Somehow, for House, that made this even hotter. Maybe it was the forbidden nature of having sex with another man, or maybe it was Chase himself. Or maybe House had been in decades' worth of denial and Chase simply brought his inner homosexual out.

It didn't really matter. The feel of Chase's hard cock in his grasp felt right and wonderful. House thought he'd like to try taking him in his mouth, but there would be other nights for that. One first time an evening was about as much as he could handle right now.

The kisses continued: mouth to mouth, mouth to ear, mouth to collarbone; it didn't matter as long as they found a way to remain connected. Chase's oral fixation was rather useful here and House enjoyed the way Chase marked him with kisses and nibbles to his sensitive flesh. House, however, was trying hard not to let his mind fly free with the sensations. He needed to keep his mind on the advice he had been given long enough to make this good for his partner. House hated being bad at anything, but especially sex and medicine.

When Chase was writhing below him, his body declaring his need for him in ways that words never could, House pulled out the bottle of lubricant he had picked up earlier and set on the nightstand. He squirted a small pool into his hand and smeared the liquid over his fingers. "You ready for this?"

Chase stared up at him with glazed eyes and moaned. "God, please!"

House chuckled, his voice low with emotion. "I'm not God, but close enough."

His fingers trailed down Chase's throbbing erection and left a shimmering trail in their wake. Over Chase's sac and perineum they traveled and House catalogued every twitch and moan his touch released in the younger man. When he finally reached his destination, he took his time, circling the soft skin of the puckered entrance.

"Please!" Chase moaned again and tried to push his hips in such a way as to make House's fingers impale him. House grinned wickedly down at his lover and teased him a little more.

"You like this, don't you?" House murmured as he finally allowed one finger to breach Chase. He slid it in slowly until two knuckles were encased with warm flesh then pulled slowly back out. The muscles were more giving than he had imagined. But then again, this wasn't Chase's first time doing this.

"Yes, House, please!" Chase said, his voice a little louder. House wondered how much Wilson could hear in the other room. Was Chase turning him on?

House continued the preparations and added a second finger. Having done his share of prostate exams in his career, House easily found the small bump that sent shivers up Chase's entire body. He liked that. He wondered if he could make Chase beg some more. Chase was already gasping and had pulled his knees up to his chest to give House clear access. He was sweating and shivering and reacting to every touch House gave, inside and out. House used his free hand to grasp Chase's cock again. With a tight grip, he began a slow and steady pumping motion in time with the motion of his fingers.

"Ah! House!" Chase cried out when House hit his prostate again while torturing his cock. "Please fuck me! Please!"

House was sure that Wilson would have heard that and grinned. Yes, that was the stereo being turned on in the other room. Then his grin faded as Chase grasped his cock and his own need for release was ratcheted up forcefully. He groped for the condom and quickly opened it and rolled it onto his flesh. He pushed Chase onto his side and lay down behind him, careful of his injured leg. Chase accommodated him by pulling his top leg forward, giving House clear permission to go ahead.

The tip of his cock teased Chase's hole, both slick with lubricant now. "Do it!" Chase demanded in a voice hoarse with need. "Fuck me!" And so House did.

The slide into that tight heat was one he had never before experienced and one he would never forget. Chase accommodated his girth with small gasps and wriggles. He pushed back as House pushed forward and soon House was seated fully in his young lover. They both froze there panting for a few seconds while House adjusted to this new sensation and Chase adjusted to the length and breadth of House's erection filling him up so completely. Then House began to move. It was slow and steady at first, but soon, Chase was demanding more, and harder and faster so loudly that House was sure his neighbors could hear. And he didn't care. In fact, those words made him so hot that he was losing his mind. All that mattered was the heat and the friction and the feel of Chase's body aligned with his own.

Barely remembering Chase's needs, House reached for the blond's cock and found a hand already wrapped tightly around it. Instead of leaving Chase to it, he entwined their fingers and worked together to bring Chase to the edge. It was hot and sweaty and better than anything house could remember experiencing in his life. He was lying half beside, half on top of Chase and their bodies worked together, moved together to bring more and more pleasure to them both.

Their rhythm faltered as they both neared the end of their endurance. House began whispering words into Chase's ear, both dirty and endearing, and when he felt his orgasm approaching, he bit down to keep from screaming. He noticed, on some weird out of body level, that Chase responded to the pain by screaming his name at the top of his voice and coming over their still joined hands.

It took a few minutes for them to come back down to earth. One good thing about fucking in this position was that there was much adjusting one had to do before allowing sleep to come. But House wasn't ready to drift off quite yet.

"That was fantastic," Chase finally said. House could hear the sleepiness in his voice. After disposing of the condom, he pulled Chase tightly to his chest. And held on.

"I can see how you might call that a religious experience," House agreed.

"A life altering religious experience," Chase murmured. "Like Saul on the road to Damascus."

House grinned before it was interrupted by a yawn. "Well, I think I'm converted."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"I think I need to invest in ear plugs if I'm going to stay here for more than one night," Wilson grumped the next morning. Chase had fixed breakfast for them before heading off to the shower, leaving the two older men alone to eat.

"Jealous?" House asked with a grin that bordered on obscene.

"In a way," Wilson admitted. "Not that I want a man in my bed, but good lord, House. The noises you two were making. It's been a long time since I've made a woman scream like that."

"Chase is very vocal," House said smugly.

"I could record those noises and make a fortune at the hospital," Wilson mused.

"But you won't, considering I know where all of your skeletons are buried," house said dryly. "And I could make your life hell."

"You already make my life hell," Wilson sighed.

"I know," House said with a smirk. "You're such a masochist. Me, the many Mrs. Wilsons… You do seem to like the abuse."

"Kara isn't all that bad," Wilson defended.

"Which is why you spent the night on my couch," House said.

"Yes, well, she's been a bit peeved lately," Wilson said. "She thinks I'm sleeping with one of my patients."

"Are you?" Wilson gave House a glare and House laughed. "It wouldn't be the first time and you know it."

"I'm not sleeping with a patient," Wilson said through clenched teeth.

"So who are you sleeping with?" House asked.

"I'm not—" Wilson tried to deny, but he could see it was pointless to try and lie to House. "Cameron. It was only the one time and we both swore it would never happen again."

"Chase!" House shouted and the blond hurried in, chest still bare, but at least half dressed.

"What?" Chase asked as he realized that there was no emergency.

"You have to hear this," House chuckled. "Say it again Wilson."

Wilson gaped at House. "I'm not going to repeat myself for your amusement. Besides that was confidential."

"Please," House said with a wave of dismissal. "Like you don't tell your wives things I tell you."

"Yeah, but that's different," Wilson said.

"How?" House wondered.

"Because…" Wilson was apparently at a loss as to how this might be different.

"Can I get dressed now?" Chase asked, a little tired of the antics.

"No, seriously, you have to hear this," House told him with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. They both turned to look at Wilson, who threw down his napkin.

"Fine," Wilson said. "I slept with Cameron. Happy?"

"Infinitely," House said through his laughter.

Chase was gasping with laughter too. "Oh… oh my god. We were wrong. It wasn't Foreman. It was Wilson!"

"Hey, is that a bite mark on your shoulder?" Wilson asked pointedly. "You might not want to use the showers at work or someone might think you're being abused." The other two took the warning and let the subject drop, though they had a hard time stifling their snickers the rest of the morning.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

The three rode into work together that morning and House was pleased to see that all of the biggest gossips were loitering in the lobby awaiting their arrival. Now they would start with the threesome theories. Up in the conference room, Foreman and Cameron were waiting for them as well. Chase hung up his jacket and put on his lab coat before taking his customary seat at the table.

"Before we start," Foreman said. "I wanted to say something. I've given my two weeks notice to Cuddy this morning. I spent some time considering my place on this team, what I have contributed and what I have been able to learn from each of you. I appreciate the time I've had with each of you, but I think it's time I moved on. I've put out my resume and have several interviews lined up with other hospitals."

House nodded. "If you need a recommendation, you've got it." It was the most decent thing House had said to Foreman since he had come to work at Princeton-Plainsboro.

"Thank you."

House looked to Cameron questioningly. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he sighed. "Alright then ducklings. Cuddy caught me in the hall on the way in. We have a new case."

The rest of the day they spent their time trying to figure out what was killing the twenty year old cyclist who had been in perfect health up until he began passing out for seemingly no reason whatsoever a few weeks ago. Already slender from his steady diet and exercise, he began to lose weight drastically in the last weeks as well. He had ended up in their care when he had a heart attack from walking from the car to a doctor's appointment. House was gleeful. Cameron did the blood work, Foreman did a CT scan. Chase kept the man alive since he seemed to want to code out about once every hour. He was also busy trying to get a medical history on the man when he was conscious.

House came in to see what Chase had found out a little while later. "He was in Bolivia for a race a little over two months ago. I'm thinking some sort of parasitic organism that may have attached itself to his heart. Did the MRI come back?"

"Not yet," House said. "If you're right, we'll need to get him into surgery right away. This thing is killing him. We should schedule the procedure now."

"Cuddy's going to go ballistic if she finds out," Chase said.

"And?"

"And I'll put in the request right now," Chase said with a shrug. "At least he's as stable as he can be. She won't be able to say we took an unnecessary risk. And if we're wrong and the MRI comes back clear, we can cancel."

"That's my wombat," House smirked. "Thinking through all the risks and going ahead anyway."

"What risks?" Cameron asked as she returned, the blood results in her hands.

"Of surgery," House replied even as Chase picked up the phone to call the surgical department.

"He doesn't need surgery," Cameron stated. "His white cells are elevated, indicating an infection. He needs antibiotics."

"He hasn't responded to antibiotics," House said. "We've been pumping him full of them since he arrived."

"It takes time," Cameron argued, her chin set stubbornly. "I'm not going to let you and Chase cut open a man because the medication isn't working fast enough for you."

"What's going on here?" Cuddy asked the two doctors.

"This little duckling is trying to tell me how to do my job," House said with false cheer.

Cameron huffed. "He wants to do surgery on our patient. But the blood tests came back with elevated white cells, indicating an infection."

"He's had eight hours to respond to the antibiotics and there has been no improvement," House said. "In fact, he's coded six times since he came in here. It is not an infection."

Chase came back over just then. "They have him scheduled for six in OR 3. We'll have the MRI back by then and give them an idea what their looking for before they cut him open."

"That's less than an hour from now," Cuddy said. "Chase, before they actually take a scalpel to him, can you tell me why we're doing surgery on this man?"

Chase looked back and forth between House and Cameron, just realizing that they were glaring at each other. "Because it's highly likely that he picked up a parasite while he was racing in Bolivia a couple months ago and that a parasite is now attacking his heart."

Cameron tried to argue again, "But the blood indicates—"

"There are other reasons for elevated white cells," House said mockingly. "Foreign organisms attacking the body would be one of them."

Chase didn't have time to stick around to argue more, because the patient decided to code again. Chase rushed into the room and began working frantically to keep him alive. Cameron was there along with several nurses, each doing their part to keep the man's heart beating. This time, nothing worked. After nearly fifteen minutes of chest compressions interspersed with shocks from the paddles, Chase sighed and called time of death.

House and Cuddy were still standing in the hall watching. Cuddy turned away. "I'll call surgical and let them know."

Cameron and Chase wandered out to where House was standing. Foreman came back just then with the MRI and Cuddy came back to hear the results. "It looks like something is surrounding his heart; a parasite, probably. He's got another one in his intestines and one on his liver."

"He's dead," Chase said. "So I guess it doesn't matter any more."

"At least we know what to tell the family," Cameron said.

House glared at her. "You won't be telling them anything. You're fired."

Everyone stood there in complete shock for what seemed like an eternity. And then House walked away and the world seemed to start rotating again. Cuddy chased after House trying to get him to reconsider. Foreman walked away, shaking his head. Chase stared at Cameron for long minutes, but then decided he needed to tell the family right away. He went to the waiting room and found the young man's parents there.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"She was wrong, I get that," Cuddy said as they reached House's office and she closed the door behind them. "But that's no reason to fire her."

"Maybe," House said as he flopped into his chair and rubbed at his leg. "But she's wrong more often than she's right. And if we would have followed her advice, the man would have died from negligence."

"He died anyway," Cuddy pointed out.

"Because we got to him too late, not because we didn't find what was wrong with him," House said. "If we'd gotten to him even an hour earlier, he would have lived. But that isn't the point. She's a mediocre doctor at best. The only reason I haven't fired her before now is the fact that she can be somewhat amusing at times. Come on, Lisa, not only was she wrong, but she was insubordinate in front of a hall full of staff and patients! There is no way I'm not firing her! And there is no way you would be questioning one of your other department heads if they had done the same thing."

"Let me see the scorecard you keep and I'll consider it," Cuddy said with a tilt to her head.

"Scorecard?" House said blankly. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Okay, then she stays," Cuddy said.

House glared at her and finally made up his mind. He'd have to make a new one soon anyway. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a notebook. Inside, there were three columns, one for each of his ducklings. Down the side of the sheet, the name of each patient they had treated was listed along with the date, symptoms and final diagnosis. Under the ducklings' names, they were given a number.

"What do the numbers mean?" she asked.

"0 to 10 how much they contributed to the correct diagnosis," House told her. "0 being not at all and 10 being they found the answer. You'll notice that Chase has gotten more 8s, 9s and 10s than the other two combined. And they were diagnoses from many different disciplines. Cameron has no 10s, though she did get a few 8s. I take off points if I have to give them clues."

Cuddy sat down on the sofa and looked through the many pages of the notebook. It was true. Chase had more correct diagnoses than the other two combined. And Cameron had the fewest. Though Foreman had the most 0s, she could tell that his average was better than Cameron's. She reached the last page and noticed that House had done a tally recently and then averaged their scores. Chase had a 9.1, Foreman a 6.7, and Cameron a 4.2.

"Alright," Cuddy sighed. "But with Foreman's resignation, you are down to one team member. I want you looking for two new doctors and I want those spots filled in the next month."

"But Mom!" House whined. "I've got loads of stuff to do. I won't have time for that."

Cuddy narrowed her eyes. "I'll cut your clinic hours this month—which I have noticed that you haven't even begun—but if you haven't filled the slots by then, I'll triple your hours next month."

"Okay, then," House smirked. "Got any candidates for me to look over? I know you do. You've known about Foreman's resignation for twelve hours now."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I'll send down the resumes that have come in over the last few months. Look through them this weekend. If you don't find anyone you want to interview, we'll put the word out next week."

"One more thing," House said before she could leave. "I want Chase to take over more of the paper work for the department."

"He's already doing the supplies and inventory," Cuddy said. "What more do you want him to take on?"

"The budget," House said. "And the patient files."

"That's pretty much all of your responsibilities," Cuddy said and then sighed. "Yes on the budget, but only because he's better at it than you are and won't give me crap when I ask him about it. As for patient files, only those you let him take lead on." With that, she left. She didn't make it far before running into Cameron, who had obviously been waiting for her in the hall. Cuddy sighed and asked Cameron to come with her. They could have this talk in the privacy of her office.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"I didn't even get to torment her about her fling with Wilson," House whined over dinner that night. Chase and Wilson both rolled their eyes.

"So rehire her and torture her to your heart's content," Chase shrugged.

"I'm not going to rehire her," House said, affronted by the very idea.

"Go play your piano," Chase said as he got up to clear away the dishes. "That always makes you feel better."

House glared at his lover and his unsympathetic best friend. "Wilson you do the dishes. Chase has resumes to go through." Both Wilson and Chase groaned.

Chase obediently followed House into the living room and picked up the stack of resumes that House had tossed on the coffee table earlier. "What exactly am I looking for?"

House looked at him with his 'don't be an idiot' face. "You are looking for new team members."

"I meant," Chase said slowly, "are there particular specialties you want me to look for? Experiences?"

"Just make sure they seem interesting," House said. He turned to the piano and Chase knew he wasn't going to get any more from the man for a few hours.

Chase sorted through the resumes. The first time through he looked at qualifications and experience. He narrowed those that made it past the first round by choosing those he thought might have something useful to contribute to the team based upon his time with House. The third pass was to look for the interesting ones, ones that House would be entertained by snooping into their pasts and trying to figure them out.

He ended up with five possible candidates by the time House finished playing and came to sit with him on the couch. Wilson was reading in the armchair and House picked up the stack of candidates. "What have you found for me?"

"This one is an endocrinologist," Chase said while House looked over her resume. "She's got good experience, seems like she could handle putting up with you, and she spent three years in Africa working for an international agency providing medical care to small villages."

"Boring," House said. "Sounds like a do-gooder to me."

"Ah, but she left a cushy job at Tufts to go," Chase pointed out. "I thought you might like to know why."

House stared at the resume again. "Alright. I'll interview her."

"Next one," Chase said as he gave House the next resume. "He's a hematologist. Spent three years at Johns Hopkins. Comes from Atlanta, originally. I looked up the area, and it's a pretty shitty neighborhood."

"Has promise," House said. "But I'm not sure I could handle _two_ weird accents."

Chase shrugged. He'd call the guy for an interview. "This one graduated from Duke and did her residency there. She's medical geneticist. She's worked on some pretty well known research projects but wants to get more hands on experience."

"Why?" House asked. "Why would anyone who had a cushy research position want to get messy with patients?"

"I'll schedule an interview and you can ask her," Chase said in answer. "Next is an internist. Worked for Cleveland Clinic. Wants to move east for personal reasons."

House nodded but didn't have a comment for this one. Chase doubted he'd get the job, but at least he'd get an interview.

"Last one," Chase said as he handed House the final resume. "She's certified in cardiology and a pulmonology."

House looked over her resume. "There's nothing interesting about her."

"Exactly," Chase said. "That can't be normal, can it? Perfect CV, perfect references, and perfect personal history. She's got to be hiding something."

"Okay, set up the interviews tomorrow," House said. He got up to go to the bathroom.

Once House was gone, Wilson looked up from his book. "You certainly know how to play him. You wanted the last one but couldn't find anything that might interest House, so you made up that stuff about her having something to hide."

Chase grinned. "Maybe. Then again, maybe he accepted her because he knew I wanted him to interview her and he wants to know why. Besides, the one I really liked was the Cleveland guy."

"Either way, that was very good," Wilson said. "Won't work all the time, but good nonetheless."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Chase set up the interviews for Monday morning. House wasn't pleased by this when Chase told him in the car on the way to work that morning, but Chase promised to make it up to him when they got home that night. Much to Wilson's discomfiture and Chase's mortification, House described in excruciating detail exactly what he wanted as recompense. By the time they got to work, Chase was harder than a rock, Wilson was redder than a beet and House was whistling a happy tune, his displeasure over the upcoming interviews forgotten.

First up was the hematologist from Atlanta. House cringed visibly when he heard the man's accent, but Chase, who was sitting in on the interviews, managed to keep the meeting going. Once House recovered from the aural insult that was the man's voice, he took back over. Who really cared about the man's experience? He wanted to know more important things.

"Tell me why you chose to be a vampire."

The man looked startled by the abrupt and tangential demand. "Um, you mean a hematologist? My older brother died of leukemia when I was twelve."

"And?"

"And what?" the man asked in confusion. He looked to Chase for some sort of explanation. Chase just shrugged.

"You're boring," House said as he tossed the man's resume into the trash. "Go away."

Chase got up and ushered the doctor out of the room, apologizing for House's behavior and telling him they would let him know their decision.

"I already told him my decision," House said petulantly once Chase came back.

"I know," Chase said. "And I'm sure he figured that out as well. I was trying to be polite. I know you never bother with the stuff, but most people expect pleasantries."

"When's the next one due?" House asked.

"Not for another fifteen minutes," Chase told him.

"Good," House chirped happily. "Long enough for time with Mario Brothers." House pulled out his DS and began to play while Chase pulled out his laptop to work on the budget.

When the knock sounded on the door, Chase got up to let the next victim—candidate—into the office.

This time it was the endocrinologist do-gooder. House was happy to let Chase handle the preliminary questions again.

"Why'd you run off to Africa?" House asked once the basics were covered.

The woman turned steely eyes on House and he actually shivered. Wow. She might have potential.

"That is none of your business."

"Actually, if you want the job, I think it is my business," House countered. He watched to see if she would crumble and was almost disappointed when she did.

"I was going through a difficult time," she told him. "My partner had left me and then my father died. I needed time away to think."

"Okay," house said. "You can go."

Chase did the polite thing again. Since this interview had lasted longer, they only had a couple minutes before the next applicant arrived. This was the medical geneticist who wanted to get closer to her patients.

"Why would you want to spend more time with patients?" House asked once Chase was finished with the niceties.

The woman looked at House, who hadn't spoken a word up until now. "Because doctors and researchers are narcissistic asses."

House smiled. He grabbed a file and handed it to her. "Read this and give me a differential diagnosis."

The woman read the history and symptoms quickly and paused to think before rattling off a list of possible causes.

"If you had to pick one, which would you choose and why?" House asked.

"Given his ancestry, his history with alcohol abuse and his age, I'd probably go with Madelung disease," she said. "Without testing or examining the patient, however, it is impossible to be sure."

House was impressed, and Chase smiled. He remembered this case and knew that it had taken the team three days to come to the same conclusion.

"We'll contact you when we've made our decision," Chase said as he escorted her to the door. He had a feeling he'd be seeing this one again.

"Only two left," House sighed. Just then the next candidate arrived and House sat up to see the next one. This one was the perfect resume girl with two specialties. This was the one with something to hide. When she walked through the door, House knew right away what that was. She had to be at least ten years older than him. The interview went well, and House was curious about why a woman would go to med school so late in life, but honestly, the woman was boring. She talked incessantly and most of what she talked about was her cats.

"I'm so sorry," Chase groaned once the cat lady had gone.

"You should be," House grumped. They only had a minute before the next candidate was due to arrive, but Chase took the opportunity with the blinds all drawn to lean over and kiss House.

"I'll make it up to you tonight," Chase said.

"You already owe me tonight," House reminded him. "Now you owe me tomorrow as well."

"You do realize my ass is yours any night, right?" Chase said teasingly. House growled and grabbed Chase by the head and pulled him into a heated kiss.

"Oh!" their next candidate exclaimed from the door. "I'm sorry. The man next door said I should come in."

"Black or white?" House asked as Chase pulled away.

"Pardon?"

"Was it the black man in the room to your left, or the white man in the room to your right?" Chase explained.

"Oh, the black man in the conference room," the man said.

"I've got a week and a half to make his life miserable," House said happily.

"But there was a white man there as well, and he smiled and showed me which door was yours," the man added.

"So you'll torture both of them," Chase said. "Can we get on with this interview?"

House chuffed. "Why do you want this job?" He had no patience left for Chase's pleasantries.

The guy took the question in his stride and smiled. "Because you have a reputation for being the best diagnostician on the east coast."

"Anything else you've heard about me?" House asked.

"That you're a bastard who likes to torture his colleagues and ignore the rules when you don't like them," the guy said.

"And you still want to work for him?" Chase asked incredulously.

The guy shrugged. "At least it won't be boring. At the Cleveland Clinic, I saw thousands of people all suffering from basically the same things. Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, thyroid, flu… I might as well have been a GP for all the more diverse the cases were."

"You said on your resume that you want to move east. Why?" Chase asked.

"My ex-wife moved to New York last fall," he said. "Took my kid with her. It'll be a bit easier being a weekend dad from two hours away than ten."

House gave the man the same case to look at that he had given to the geneticist. He didn't get the final diagnosis, but he was on the right track and, with the test he said he would run, would have found the right diagnosis. Chase could tell House liked this one.

He ushered him out and gave him the same speech he had given the other four before turning back to House. "Well?"

"I like him," House admitted. "He wasn't too horrible with the diagnosis. And he was honest and he's interesting."

"What about the others?" Chase asked as he picked up the other resumes and shuffled through them.

"Absolutely not on the cat lady," House said. "Same goes for the Africa girl. She tried to put up a tough front, but caved before I even got started; she'd be crying and filing harassment charges in a week. And the hematologist, you already know how I feel about him."

"What about the geneticist?" Chase asked.

"She's smart," House said. "And there's a story behind her answer to my question about getting out of research. I'm pretty sure she'll be as annoying and impractical as Cameron when it comes to ethics, but at least she's prettier."

"So are you going to hire her?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, sure," House shrugged. "Why not? At least Cuddy won't be able to make me do this again. And I still won't have clinic hours until next month."

Chase laughed and kissed House again. "I'll go let her and the internist know and then let the rejects know too. When do you want them to start?"

"Is next week too soon?" House asked. "I'm ready for some new games."

"I'll see what they say," Chase said. "They may need to give notice."

"Who cares about their previous employer?" House grumped. "They work for me now."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"He actually chose two?" Cuddy asked in disbelief. "And they're qualified and everything? He didn't hire a janitor again, did he?"

Chase laughed. "No, I sorted through the resumes and set the interviews up. Here. You can look at the two he chose." He handed her the resumes.

"Well, if nothing else, him making you his assistant has made _my_ life easier."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Four weeks passed before the new fellows could start, and House was impatient the entire time. Chase, on the other hand, was too busy trying to keep up with the work of three to worry too much about House's impatience. It hadn't really changed much about their home life, except when Chase was too tired from a 36 hour shift to do more than fall into bed. Then House would be impatient _and _cranky. Of course, he'd then try to lighten Chase's load for a day or two so he could get some before going back to his old ways. Chase just seemed to be amused by House's flip-flopping ways.

Cameron, Chase found out from Nurse Brenda at the clinic, wound up at working for a private group practice outside of New Brunswick after Cuddy had pulled a few strings and put in a good word for the girl. Chase figured she would do better in the non-threatening environment and expected that she would be happy getting married and starting a family within the next few years.

Foreman, on the other hand, had ended up taking a job that Cuddy offered him working in the neurology department at the PPTH. Actually, she offered him the position as assistant head of the department, so he and Chase were now on equal levels career-wise. It was strange, but now that they weren't working together, Chase found it easier to be friends with the other doctor. Maybe it was because they weren't competing any more, or maybe it was like army buddies back from the war after having shared a life changing experience. Either way, Chase and Foreman had lunch together a couple times a week and Chase went out to dinner with Foreman and Carla once during that month.

Wilson had spent three weeks on House's sofa before resigning himself to another divorce and finding an apartment. Chase was almost positive that it was because even with earplugs, he and House could be quite loud in bed together. Wilson hadn't commented on it again, as far as Chase knew, after that first morning, but the bags under his eyes spoke of sleepless nights. House had told Chase that Wilson had been keeping in touch with Cameron and they had both rolled their eyes, silently praying that she wouldn't end up the next Mrs. Wilson.

As the weather began to improve, House and Chase spent several days on the back of House's bike, exploring the small towns and back road in both New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. They went back to Katie's diner several times and each time Chase loved whatever food he chose to order. There didn't seem to be a bad thing on the menu.

Now, they were both sitting in the conference room, waiting for the new doctors to arrive. Chase had convinced House to do his clinic hours for the month last week so that they wouldn't have to worry about them while getting the two newbies up to speed. It had helped that he had bribed him with sex and the promise that if they did the hours together, Chase would sneak off once each day to give House a blow job while at work. Normally, Chase refused anything more than a few kisses at the hospital, saying it was unprofessional. House was happy with the arrangement and Chase figured Cuddy would have had a lot less stress over the years if she had figured out that a blow job was great incentive and made House much nicer to the patients.

"Good morning," came the quiet but confident voice of Dr. Gina Upton. Chase stood up to greet her, but House kept his eyes on his gameboy. When Dr. John Herbert arrived, Chase did the introductions and then showed them where to hang their jackets and stow their bags. He glanced at House for a few minutes before offering to take them on a tour of their department and the rest of the hospital.

"Is he always that rude?" Upton asked once they were out of the conference room and headed towards the patient's rooms down the hall.

"That was polite for House," Chase laughed. "He generally likes to taunt, tease and torture the closest people to him for fun and entertainment. You'll learn to appreciate the times he ignores you."

"And you've been working with him for how long?" Herbert asked with amusement. After all, he knew something that Upton did not.

"I began as a fellow three and a half years ago," Chase told them. "There were several other fellows that came and went quickly during my first two months, but I hung in there. After a while, we ended up with Dr. Eric Foreman, whose now the assistant head of neurology—I'll introduce you to him at lunch—and Dr. Allison Cameron. She works in private practice now. They both lasted about three years."

"You say lasted like it's an accomplishment," Upton said. "Is he really that bad?"

"He's really the absolute best there is in this field," Chase said. "But he's also the hardest person to work for you'll likely ever find. He's a perfectionist when it comes to medicine. He ignores rules, crosses personal boundaries just to see how you will react, and basically will make you question your worth not only as a doctor but as a human being. But if you can make it out in tact and with his respect, you'll go very far."

"How have you survived?" Upton asked with a bit of wonder in her voice.

Chase noticed the smirk on Herbert's face and glared. "Herbert, I know what you are thinking, and you'd better knock it off. I survived and was made the assistant head of diagnostics because I'm good at what I do and I work my ass off. I also know how to let the things House says to me go. _Most_ of the time. Now, since this is obviously going to become an issue, yes, House and I are in a relationship. Since most of the hospital already knows, I'm sure that some kind-hearted soul would have told you at the first opportunity so I'll save them the trouble. But we try to keep our personal lives from interfering with our professional lives. He can still be as much of a bastard to me as he is to anyone else. It's when he's nice that you need to be suspicious."

"Good to know," Upton said with bemusement. Herbert looked duly chastised.

"This is our lab," Chase said and ushered the other two into the room where they would be spending a lot of time.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

When they got back to the conference room after lunch, House was there, just like they had left him, playing his gameboy and ignoring them. The only difference was that there was now a file on the table. Chase had no doubt that House had been out and about doing what he did, but had come back after receiving the case file from, probably, Cuddy.

"Back from our tour my little ducklings?" House asked as he finally looked up from his game. Chase took his usual seat and grabbed the file to read through before handing it over to Upton, who was sitting closest to him, where Foreman used to sit. "We have a patient. 39 years old, female, presenting with high fever, seizures, hypotensive, fainting increased heart rate, and a rash. The ER ruled out flu and any of the other common causes for these symptoms. Any thoughts? You first she-devil."

Upton, who was handing the file to Herbert, looked startled. "What? What did you call me?"

"She-devil," House said. "You know… Duke? Blue Devils? You aren't blue and you're female, so…"

"Oookay," she said, drawing out the first syllable. "Well, I'd like to see how her blood work turns out. It could be a problem with her thyroid."

"But that doesn't explain the rash," Herbert said, still reading through the file.

"Alright, your turn love bug," House taunted.

"I get it, Herbie the Love Bug," Herbert said with some amusement. House didn't look amused, and Herbert squirmed a little. "Good movie. Um, I'd want to get a little more background on the patient. Does she have allergies? Has she been in contact with something she might have had a reaction to? I think we might be able to get a better understanding of—"

"You people suck at this game," House muttered. "Oh my little wombat! Can you show them how we play?"

"Sepsis," Chase said without looking up from the crossword puzzle he had picked up after giving the file away.

"And why do you think it is sepsis?" House asked for the benefit of the new ducklings.

"The file indicated that the drop in blood pressure was rather sudden," Chase said, finally looking up. "Sepsis fits the other symptoms as well. She's spent four hours in the ER and didn't go to the bathroom once, so we can add decreased urine output to the list. Textbook case, really." With that, he went back to his puzzle.

"Alright, ducklings," House said to the other two. "You heard him. She-devil, get the blood and go to that pretty lab I'm sure Chase showed you earlier. Check the blood culture for bacteria, check the blood gasses for acidosis, and check platelet and white cell count. Love bug, get the patient's history and see if you can figure out where the infection started. Wombat, supervise."

Chase chuckled while House limped to his office, leaving the two newbies spluttering.

"Is that how it always is?" Upton finally asked.

Chase nodded with a grin. "He knows the tests. He knows usually knows the diagnosis. What he wants is for you to take a chance and name something. You, for instance, could have just said hypothyroid. Herbert could have said allergies. But I'll be honest with you, he thinks I'm right. And I know this because….?"

"Because he didn't belittle your answer," Herbert said. "Right. Hell, after that, _I_ think you're right."

"Go do what he said," Chase reminded them. "He's watching."

They both looked up over Chase's shoulder where House was staring at them through the glass wall. He held his arm up and tapped the face of his watch. They both scrambled for the door.

**HCHCHCHCHC**

Chase waited for half an hour while the newbies did their work before going to check on them. He had just walked into the patient's room when the heart monitor went crazy and the patient flat lined. He dropped everything and began doing what he was trained to do, noticing absentmindedly that Herbert was right there with him through the whole incident. It took almost half an hour to get the patient stable, but eventually, they got her heart regulated and stood back to keep an eye on her.

"She never woke long enough for me to get a good history," Herbert said regretfully.

"I'll stay with her for a while," Chase said. "Take a sample of her urine and check for infection there. That's the most likely cause, and the easiest to treat. If it didn't originate there, then we'll have to check for peritonitis. We know it isn't pneumonia, since she's not been coughing. And it's not cellulitis because we'd see more than just a rash on her skin. After the bowels, we'll check the liver and gall bladder, but those tend to be more invasive, so we'll save them for last."

Herbert got a sample of the patient's urine from her catheter and headed off to the lab. Chase took a seat in the chair and pulled out his crossword puzzle. After he finished that, he had one of the nurses fetch his laptop so he could work on the monthly supply request. Two hours later, both Herbert and Upton were back with the test results.

"Okay, page House," Chase told them. "He'll want to hear the results."

**HCHCHCHCHC**

"The new guys are working out pretty well," Chase said over dinner a few weeks later. Wilson had decided to join them since he wasn't having dinner with Cameron that evening. Neither House nor Chase wanted to hear much about that relationship so they tried to keep the conversation flowing in other directions.

"I heard you made Upton cry last week," Wilson said.

Chase actually blushed. "Well, she was being a twat. But she didn't quit, so that's says something about her fortitude."

"It says more about you," Wilson said. "You are becoming more and more like House."

"Not a bad thing," House piped in. "But I think you're wrong Wilson. Chase still likes the patients. I'm not sure that will ever change."

"I hope not," Chase said.

"So, what are you two planning this weekend?" Wilson asked.

"I had thought I might go looking for n apartment," Chase said casually.

Both House and Wilson froze.

"Why?" House asked through gritted teeth.

Chase looked confused by the response. "Because my three months have been up for a while now. My loans are paid off, and I can afford a better place. I thought that's what you wanted."

"Wait," Wilson said. "So this really was about you needing a place to stay for a while? What about the kissing and sex?"

"I enjoyed that very much," Chase said looking at House, who was scowling at him. "House…"

"So now that you've got everything together, you're just going to leave?" House growled. "Fine then, go! Get the fuck out of my home!" House tossed his napkin down and got to his feet before limping away.

"Wilson?" Chase said, completely bewildered by what had just happened.

"I think you are going to have to figure this one out on your own," Wilson said as he too rose to leave. He paused at the doorway, however and looked back. "I will tell you this, though: if House wanted you gone, you wouldn't have made a day past whatever timeline you agreed upon in the beginning."

Chase was left staring at the empty door. He slowly got up and began to clear the table more out of habit than any real thought. Instead, he let his mind wander back over what had just happened, and everything that was said. When the last dish was dried and put away, when the countertops were scrubbed down and there was nothing else left to do, chase finally came to a decision. Chase strode purposefully from the kitchen to the living room where he could hear House playing the piano.

He paused in the doorway and watched his angry lover pound out a strident tune on the keyboard, using a break in the music to gulp down the whisky from the glass perched atop the instrument. He had done this. Inadvertently, to be sure, but he was the cause of House's anger. He took his usual seat on the sofa and waited for House to finish playing. One song blended into the next. It was only once the glass was empty that the music stopped. Suddenly the silence in the room was oppressive.

"I thought I told you to leave."

"You did," Chase said. "And I will, if that's what you really want. But I have something to say first."

"Say it and then get out," House said as he grabbed the bottle of whisky and poured himself another drink.

"Okay," Chase said. "I don't want to leave. And if I do, I don't want what we have to end. I was only trying to abide by our agreement. You have never given any indication that you wanted me to stay. I'm not a mind reader, you know. Believe it r not, I'm no better with relationships than you are. If you want me to stay, you have to tell me. I know that we haven't really talked about any of this, and that's partly my fault. But stay or go, whatever you decide, you have to know that I'm in love with you. This isn't about sex or having a place to stay, or even gratitude for the promotion. I love you and I was trying to give you what you wanted. I thought that was your space—this place can get a bit cramped with two of us living here—but if I'm wrong, tell me."

Throughout his speech, House had stared at the amber liquid in his glass, never once looking at Chase. For long minutes after he finished, House remained still and silent, but when he did look up, his face was a mirror of the uncertainty that Chase was feeling.

"Stay," House said. "And if you think this place is too crowded, then we'll look for a new place together."

Chase chuckled. That had been easier than he had thought it would be. He walked over to the piano bench and sat beside House. He leaned in for a kiss and was pleased when he got it. There had been no declaration of love, but it was a start. One he thought they could build upon. He set his finger to the keyboard and began picking out the base line for Heart and Soul, the only song he knew how to play. House snorted at his feeble attempt but picked up the melody in the right place.

"I think there's a big first floor two bedroom condo in Wilson's new building," House said casually as they played. "We could make him drive to the hospital and save on gas."

Yes, they could definitely build on this.

**The End**

**A/N:** Okay, that's two stories I've posted this weekend. For those who follow my stories, I'll let you know I have one more to post this weekend. I've posted an NCIS, a House, and now I have a Friends story. I've been taking advantage of the holiday weekend to catch up before classes start on Tuesday. Once that happens, between school and work, I won't have as much time to write. Having said that, I do have another NCIS story begun and several QaF stories that I'll probably work on when I have time. I hope you enjoyed my first House fic. It was interesting to do the research on diseases and disorders, though I'm sure that I've messed some of it up. I hope that if this is the first fic of mine that you've read, that you'll be inspired to read more in some of the other genres. Jules


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